6 Patriots with most to prove in 2019
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.- In the National Football League, nothing is guaranteed. Teams around the NFL do not care if a player was a first round pick or an undrafted rookie free agent. If the player can't put their team in the best situation to win football games then the organization will have no problem cutting ties with said player.
With the New England Patriots roster currently standing at 90-deep, the team has their fair share of players that need to prove they can make an impact for the organization.
Here are six Patriots players that have the most to prove heading into the 2019 season.
1.) Derek Rivers, DE
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New England only selected four players in the 2017 NFL Draft. With their first selection in the third round, they chose defensive end Derek Rivers 83rd overall.
After recording the fifth most sacks (37.5) in a career in FCS history, the Patriots had high hopes for the former Youngstown State defensive end. Those hopes were crushed when Rivers suffered a torn ACL early in training camp causing him to miss the entire 2017 season.
Rivers rehabbed hard to ensure he was ready for the start of the 2018 season. His hard work paid off as he was activated for the third regular season game against the Detroit Lions. Rivers, however, struggled to see significant playing time.
That was pretty much how the story went for Rivers for the rest of the 2018 season. Buried on the depth chart behind Trey Flowers, Adrian Clayborn, Deatrich Wise, and John Simon, Rivers only appeared in six games, recording one sack. He was also inactive for Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams.
With Flowers and Clayborn gone, Rivers needs to prove that he can be an impact player at the defensive end position.
Michael Bennett, Wise, and third-round pick Chase Winovich are virtually locks to make the final 53-man roster, which puts Rivers in direct competition with Simon and Keionta Davis for a spot on the roster. If Rivers makes the team, he is going to need to make a far greater impact than he did last season if he wants to stick around in the future.
2.) Duke Dawson, CB
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It was Duke Dawson, not JC Jackson, who the Patriots expected to contribute immediately at defensive back. After the team selected the former Florida Gator in the second round (56th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, Dawson projected to be one of the top slot corners on the roster. However, an injury to his hamstring threw a wrench in those plans.
Once Dawson injured his hamstring, he was unable to participate in the majority of training camp. He was taken off injured reserve on November 13th, but by that time it was too late as he found himself buried on the depth chart behind Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jackson, Jonathan Jones, and Keion Crossen.
Instead of throwing an unproven Dawson into the mix at cornerback, Bill Belichick decided to keep him inactive for the rest of the 2018 season.
Dawson admitted that his rookie season did not go as he had hoped. He wanted to showcase his talents but was unable to do so after his hamstring setback.
Going into 2019, Dawson is fully healthy and ready to compete for a contributing role in the defensive backfield. After adding cornerback Joejuan Williams in with the 45th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Dawson may have his work cut out for him.
If Dawson is unable to perform well early in training camp he may be on the outside looking in when it comes to making the roster.
3.) Isaiah Wynn, OL
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With the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, New England selected offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn.
After Nate Solder left for the New York Giants in free agency, the team had a glaring hole at the left tackle position. It seemed that the former University of Georgia offensive lineman was set to fill that void. That was until Wynn suffered a gruesome injury to his Achilles in the second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fortunately for the Patriots, Trent Brown stepped in at left tackle and played lights out during the 2018 season, only allowing 3.5 sacks.
Brown's fantastic 2018 season helped him net the highest paying contract for an offensive tackle in NFL history.
With Brown in Oakland, the team again turns to Wynn to replace a departing free-agent.
The team is currently taking things slow with Wynn as they do want to rush him back to early. With that being said, Dante Scarnnecchia is "all in" on Wynn being a valued piece on the team's offensive line.
New England lacks depth at the tackle position, so expectations are high for Wynn to be the anchor the team envisioned him being when they selected him with their first-round pick last spring.
4.) Braxton Berrios, WR
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Earlier this offseason we took a closer look at what Braxton Berrios brings to the Patriots. The former University of Miami receiver is just as quick as he is fast, so naturally, he was compared to the likes of Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Wes Welker when the team selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Like Dawson, Berrios was inactive for the entirety of his rookie season.
Given the lack of depth at the receiving position in the 2018 season, it was an interesting move to place Berrios on injured reserve when he in all likelihood could have returned at some point during the regular season.
Now, the Patriots head into the 2019 season with a lot more depth at wideout than they did this past year. Edelman, first-round pick N'keal Harry, Matthew Slater (ST), and Phillip Dorsett are all but locks to make the final roster. Demaryius Thomas and Josh Gordon also might factor into the mix at the receiver position in the later stages of the season.
In order to make New England's roster, Berrios is going to have to prove himself early in training camp. Even if he makes the team his battle won't end there.
With Thomas and Gordon hoping to return at some point during the regular season, Berrios will need to play well enough for the team to justify carrying seven receivers. And that's only if he is able to beat out Maurice Harris, Dontrelle Inman, and Jakobi Meyers.
5.) Obi Melifonwu, S
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Obi Melifonwu is a perfect example of how fast teams are willing to move on from early-round draft picks.
The Oakland Raiders selected the uber-athletic safety in the second round (56th overall) in the 2017 draft. After missing the majority of his rookie season due to injury, Oakland decided to waive him just before the start of the 2018 season.
New England picked up Melifonwu on November 13th to add depth to their defensive backfield. In primarily a reserve role, Melifonwu only appeared in two games for the team, registering two tackles.
Heading into the 2019 season, Melifonwu needs to remind the Patriots why he was such a highly-touted prospect just two years ago.
6.) Jamie Collins, LB
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Jamie Collins is back. But I hate to break it to you; Collins is a much different player than he was when he was named second-team All-Pro with New England in 2015.
In his first two full seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Collins graded out as the 82nd best linebacker in 2017 and the 58th best in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus. Far cry from his days in a Patriots uniform.
Fans may glance at his stats from this past season and say, "Collins is a beast he had over 100 tackles this past season!" While this is true, Collins was often out of position and hurting his team in ways that won't appear on the box score.
There's a reason why Collins wasn't offered a multi-year contract heading into the 2019 season. Why offer a multi-year contract to a player that has shown regression in the past three seasons?
Instead, Collins was better suited signing a one-year prove it deal with New England with hopes to earn a fat contract next season. Collins likely figured that there was no better place to do that than with the team that turned him into one of the best linebackers in the game.
Back with the Patriots coaching staff, Collins has no one to blame but himself if he is unable to return to pro bowl form.
